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Tony Rock's giving Pete Davidson mad respect for making his fans sign very pricey non-disclosure agreements to attend his shows ... something he thinks is long overdue.

We got the comedian at LAX Monday and asked about the 'SNL' star's new million-dollar NDA policy ... he's fully behind Pete, telling us it's a bold but necessary move to balance power between stand-up comics and their fans.

Tony tells us the current culture -- where people bust out their phones to record everything and post it online instantaneously -- makes it hard for comics to try out new material ... and he's praising Davidson for "having the balls" to take a stand against it.

As he puts it ... the fans have gotten away with too much for too long, and it's time for a little get-back.

Rock admits the threat of a million-dollar penalty for breaching the NDA by simply talking about Pete's content might be too much ... but ya gotta start somewhere.

Tony also suggests other comics -- including himself -- should follow Pete's lead ... especially Eddie Murphy. As you may know, the legendary comedian's set to make a return to stand-up on Netflix ... and Tony thinks the NDA is absolutely necessary for Eddie to avoid his comeback getting spoiled.

Officials say Aniah Blanchard was killed by a gunshot ... and now, they're seeking the death penalty for her alleged killer.

Blanchard's body was recovered in a wooded area in Macon County, Alabama on Nov. 25 after she had gone missing for weeks.

The medical examiner conducted an autopsy and determined Blanchard -- the stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris -- was killed by a gunshot ... but didn't specify to which part of her body.

Now, prosecutors say the man accused of pulling the trigger -- Ibraheem Yazeed -- is being charged with capital murder, and they're seeking the death penalty.

"This case has shaken our community to its core," Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes said Monday ... "It is my intention that the response to this horrific crime serve as a warning to anyone who believes they want to come to Lee County and engage in violent criminal behavior."

Hughes added, "You will be dealt with and the consequences will be severe."

So far, three men have been arrested in connection with Blanchard's abduction ... but Hughes said Monday Yazeed is now believed to be the "lone person responsible" for Blanchard's death.

Hughes says Yazeed abducted Blanchard from an Auburn gas station on Oct. 23 ... and his first-degree kidnapping charge has now been upgraded to capital murder.

Yazeed is still being held in jail without bond.

Liam Payne was one with Michael Jackson before he allegedly got manhandled by a bouncer at a Texas bar ... which is a shame, 'cause he was killin' it on the dance floor.

The former One Direction singer proved just how much of a showman he really is Friday night at the Silver Fox in San Antonio -- where he and his 19-year-old Instagram model girlfriend, Maya Henry, were out having a good time before things turned ugly with the staff.

Eyewitnesses tell us it was piano night at the joint, and at one point ... MJ's "Billie Jean" came on, and Liam didn't hesitate to get up and bust a move. He did a bit more than that, though, as you can see here in video we got of him doing his best Michael.

He moonwalks, spins and even does the freakin' splits all with relative ease -- dude's a natural-born performer, obviously. Looks like he was content with his performance too.

Unfortunately, the night went south soon after that.

TMZ broke the story ... Liam appeared to get into an altercation outside with at least one of the bouncers, who wasn't letting him in. In the clip, Liam implies he was pushed by one of them -- and it looks like his shirt confirms that too. It was covered in dirt.

At first, we were told this might have had something to do with his underage GF, but we've now been told differently. Witnesses say Liam had gone in and out of the bar several times that night for smoke breaks and such -- but his last attempt to reenter got halted.

We're told the bouncers asked him for ID -- Liam's 26 years old, BTW -- and he apparently became upset with the request, seeing how he'd already been there for a while.

Ron Perlman was shooting a movie scene when an out-of-control truck plowed into a group of crew members -- injuring one of them -- but it sounds like it could have been a lot worse.

Sources on the scene tell TMZ ... the "Hellboy" star was on set of his upcoming film, "The Last Victim," Friday when the accident occurred. They were shooting at the Okanagan Indian Band in British Columbia.

We're told the driver of the truck mistakenly hit the gas instead of the brake and accelerated past where it was supposed to stop ... sending the crew scrambling to safety. Our sources say at least one person was struck and was on the ground being tended to by others until emergency workers arrived.

As of now, it's unclear who was driving the vehicle, but according to witnesses ... Perlman was visibly shaken up afterward and seemed to be "in shock."

Law enforcement tells us police were called to the scene for a work-related accident Friday morning, and one person suffered a minor foot injury. Nobody was transported to the hospital, though ... and the incident was referred to WorkSafeBC, a workplace safety agency for the Canadian province.

WorkSafeBC tells us it's aware of the incident and an investigation is underway. It adds that it assigned one of its Prevention Officers to go to the set the following day, which was the last day of filming.

Our sources say Perlman also returned to set that day.

"The Last Victim" is a neo-western with Ron starring as the local sheriff. The movie costars Ali Larter and Ralph Ineson ... it's unclear of either of them were on hand for Friday's incident.

Nate Bain says his family is absolutely STUNNED at the $150,000 in donations he's received since Stephen F. Austin State upset Duke ... and he's telling us how the money will be spent.

Of course, Bain's story went viral after the Duke game -- his family home and church in the Bahamas were destroyed in Hurricane Dorian -- and people raced to his GoFundMe to help them rebuild.

The good news ... Bain tells TMZ Sports his family home is covered by insurance, so the GoFundMe cash (currently around $150k) will be used to help the scores of people who need help the most.

"That money is to help other families within the church and on the school," Bain says ... "It's going to help a whole lot of families."

In fact, Bain had this special thank you message to everyone who contributed ...

"To those people who are watching right now or you’ll see this later, just thank you so much! You have no idea how [many] folks you’re helping. How [many] families and lives you’re gonna change ... because there’s still folks back home without constant water, without shoes, without clothes that this money is going to go towards."

"You’re making an impact inside a little kid’s life, you’re changing somebody’s life for the better. Shows there’s still great people inside this world, still humane people that are still thinking about others so I just wanna say THANK YOU! My whole country thanks those who are still contributing!"

As for the basketball team, Bain says they've become rock stars on campus since the upset -- but they're not looking to slow down any time soon!

"The whole campus has been loving on us! But, the season isn't over!"

SFA is 6-1 and taking on Arlington Baptist University on Monday night -- and after beating Duke, they're expected to win big!

Remy Ma's off the hook in her assault case -- a judge just dropped all charges against her.

The rapper was in an NYC courthouse Monday with her legal team, and prosecutors made it clear ... they couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt Remy had committed the alleged assault on "Love & Hip Hop: New York" star Brittney Taylor back in April.

They said there was no surveillance video capturing the alleged punch, and no witnesses had seen an altercation between them either. Thus, a judge dismissed the case entirely.

You'll recall ... Remy was initially slapped with 4 charges over this -- 2 counts of assault, 1 count of aggravated harassment and another count off harassment in the 2nd degree.

Remy always maintained her innocence, saying she had visual evidence she wasn't even at the concert where it allegedly went down.

Her attorney, Dawn Florio, tells TMZ, "Remy has always maintained her complete innocence as she never laid a hand on her celebrity-obsessed, clout chasing, credibility challenged accuser. Unfortunately, these manufactured allegations caused my client to suffer the indignities of having to wear an ankle monitor while having her freedom limited by travel restrictions and an 8:00 PM curfew."

She adds, "These restrictions have hurt my client's ability to perform, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of lost income. District Attorney Vance’s office should be commended for its exercise of sound judgment in agreeing to dismiss these unwarranted charges."

Sorry, Tom Brady ... reinforcements are NOT on the way -- Rob Gronkowski's unretirement deadline has passed -- officially closing the door on a possible return for the TE this season.

Gronk has been rumored to be considering a comeback almost since the day he made his surprising retirement announcement last spring ... with the future Hall of Famer even joking about coming back to the Patriots around playoff time this year.

But, the NFL deadline for a possible return was Saturday ... and with Gronk choosing to remain retired -- he is now DONE for the 2019 season.

It's a bummer for Brady and the Pats ... their offense hasn't done much this season, and TB12 was seen openly screaming at his receivers during their loss to the Texans on Sunday.

Of course, Rob can come back to the Pats NEXT year ... and New England will have the first crack at signing him then if he chooses to do so.

But, Gronk sure as hell seems to be enjoying life away from the gridiron ... he's got a job analyzing football on FOX -- and he's spending others nights partying his face off!

TMZ Sports obtained video of the 30-year-old dancing in Dallas last week ... and he doesn't appear to be missing in-season practices that much.

Gronk was also spotted hunting for Christmas trees with his girlfriend, Camille Kostek, over the weekend ... and she seems to be enjoying his time away from football too!

"Family tradition with my favorite addition this year," she wrote.

The world is a little less bubbly ... because the famous cat with a sparkling personality and super cute looks has sadly taken her last breath.

Internet sensation Lil Bub -- a kitten-size cat with 2.3 million Instagram followers, an album, a book, a stage production and a talk show -- died Sunday, according to her owners, Mike and Stacy Bridavsky, who say Lil Bub "unexpectedly passed away peacefully in her sleep."

Lil Bub had been battling health problems ... including what her humans say was a persistent and aggressive bone infection. Still, they weren't expecting her to die so suddenly and without warning.

LB was a major influencer with people and pets. The cat with an extra toe on each of her paws and osteopetrosis started the first national fund for special needs pets, and was the subject of groundbreaking biological and genetic research, helping raise over $700,000 for animals in need.

Not that she did it for fame, but Lil Bub did rub elbows with human celebs from time to time -- such as Robert DeNiro at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.

She even had a famous bloodline ... scientists say she was related to Ernest Hemingway's six-toed cats.

Fun-ish feline fact: The first 2 cat years are roughly equivalent to 25 human years, after which each year equates to 4 human years. So, by our standards, Lil Bub lived to become a middle-aged woman of 49.

RIP

Antonio Brown is making use of all his downtime by getting in the booth with Sean Kingston to share his story through music ... which, apparently, includes police chases and GETTING SHOT IN THE EAR!!!

The free-agent receiver teased a music project with the "Beautiful Girls" crooner on Monday ... saying he'll be talking about real-life experiences with his lyrics.

"Going to be telling my story in these songs all truth..... I had the biggest police chase at fiu university campus. Mario Cristobal was the coach ask him!"

"Or Me getting shot in the ear In the left 👂 In liberty city pink n grey projects! Then I walk on to CMU !!! 2020 🚕 records."

Did you process that? AB says he got SHOT in the ear and was involved in a POLICE CHASE and somehow, nobody ever found out about it. Crazy!

FWIW -- this is the first time we're hearing about both incidents and yeah, we're trying to get more info!

Unclear how long AB has been working on the project or when it's expected to drop -- though he's teasing a Friday release. So, stay tuned on that ...

AB shared a track snippet off the upcoming project ... and it doesn't sound terrible(?).

Kim Petras is sticking it to the Westboro Baptist Church once again, but this time ... she's her own walking billboard.

The transgender singer made her way to Kansas City, Missouri Sunday night for a show planned months ago. We're told WBC members set up shop outside the concert, picketing with hateful messages, and Kim decided to step out and show them what's up.

Kim shared a photo and video of the scene along with an update -- "hoes still mad ..."

The post is being flooded with comments calling her legendary and a genius, and Katy Perry commented with just one word ... "icon."

We broke the story ... billboards for Petras -- whose songs have been blowing up in the LGBTQ+ community lately -- began popping up last month all over Topeka, Kansas last month, near the headquarters of the hate-mongering church.

Kim told us she enjoys razzing the homophobic folks at Westboro Baptist, even if she didn't know for certain who was responsible for the billboards.

Jay Leno's trying like hell to put a positive spin on the firestorm around Gabrielle Union's 'AGT' firing and his role in it, but for the most part ... he's at a loss for words.

Leno was asked point-blank Sunday night about Gabrielle calling him out to 'AGT' producers for making a joke about Koreans eating dog. On his way out of the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, CA ... Jay would only say he enjoyed working with Gabrielle, and she's a "great girl."

As for Gabrielle, and others, labeling his joke racist ... Jay pleaded the Fifth, but in his own unique way.

As we've reported, prior to her firing, Gabrielle complained to 'AGT' honchos about the workplace environment -- due to Leno's joke and what she reportedly called "excessive notes" from producers about her hair, wardrobe and appearance.

The insinuation from Gabrielle's camp is she was fired because she complained.

The photog asks Leno if he thinks Union was treated fairly -- he's refusing to commit one way or another.

The woman who allegedly stabbed ex-NFL star Terrelle Pryor appeared to have SMILED in her mug shot as she was being processed for attempted homicide!

Check out 24-year-old Shalaya Briston -- who was arrested Saturday morning after she allegedly stabbed 30-year-old Pryor during a fight at their Pittsburgh apartment.

Cops say they noticed a bruise on Briston's nose at the time of her arrest -- allegedly caused during the fight with Pryor -- but it's hard to see in the mug shot.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, a female witness told police Pryor was the aggressor and had been waiting for Briston after she went clubbing with friends.

The witness says Pryor "tussled" with Briston and it spilled into the kitchen -- where 5'6," 150-pound Brison allegedly grabbed a sharp object and stabbed 6'4," 220-pound Pryor in the chest.

Briston and her friends drove Pryor to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.

Cops say one of the witnesses was overheard saying Briston was "just defending herself and added, "We should have just let him die."

Pryor didn't die and was later arrested and charged with assault. Briston is facing two felony criminal charges -- aggravated assault and attempted homicide.

Jail officials tell us Briston is currently in police custody at the Allegheny County Jail and bail has been denied.

She has a hearing scheduled for later this month.

Pablo Escobar's brother knows how to move merchandise -- show off the goods ... and make sure to toss in a little extra eye candy. Or a lot.

The notorious Colombian kingpin's bro, Roberto, is adding to his tech portfolio by unveiling one of the world's first foldable smartphones. Based on the ad ... sexy women in lingerie will especially enjoy using it.

According to his company, Escobar Inc., the flexible screen Android easily folds out into a 7.8-inch screen tablet ... and comes with all the top-of-the-line bells and whistles.

Its name -- the Escobar Fold 1. Retail price -- $349. The company says they'll sell out quickly, because it's only producing 100,000 units to start ... so get 'em while they're hot.

Of course, the pioneering new phone comes a few months after Roberto got into a business beef with tech guru Elon Musk ... over their competing flamethrowers.

We broke the story ... Pablo's bro threatened to take legal action against Musk, claiming Elon jacked his idea after one of his engineers paid a visit to the family compound in mid-2017.

However, days later Roberto changed his tune and offered a solution to Musk -- get Trump to issue him a pardon so they can partner up ... and get into the weed biz.

The spirit of Christmas is alive and well at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and so is "The Spirit of America" ... impeachment hearings be damned, as far as the First Lady's concerned.

Melania Trump unveiled the patriotic theme for this holiday season's decorations at The White House, saying ... "I am delighted to share this beautiful exhibit of patriotism for all to see."

In a video, Mrs. Trump walked down the halls, cruising through different wings to reveal the USAwesome highlights ... like a White House advent calendar, a gingerbread house in the State Dining Room featuring the WH and famous landmarks from across the country and multiple gorgeous Christmas trees.

The trees include A Gold Star Family Tree to honor those who lost their lives serving in the military ... and the official 18-foot-tall White House Christmas tree.

At one point, Melania's seen sprinkling snow on the tree's branches, and the ornaments include red, white and blue flags and ribbons ... and Scrabble tiles spelling out "Be Best" -- the name of her anti-bullying initiative.

Felicity Huffman and her daughter were on the same page this weekend, but in different books -- with mom focused on getting a fresh 'do, while her kid zeroed in on studying.

The actress was out with 19-year-old Sophia Sunday at a beauty salon in Bev Hills ... where they were both preoccupied with their own activities. Felicity intently scrolled through her phone getting her hair done, and Sophia had her nose buried in a notebook.

It also looks like she was crunching some numbers on a calculator. Unless she's getting an early jump on taxes this year ... she might very well have been cramming for an exam of some sort.

That's interesting, of course, because we know Sophia just graduated high school ... and didn't enroll in a university this past fall in the wake of her mom getting indicted -- and later convicted and jailed -- for paying $15k to fix Sophia's SAT score.

Lucky for her, the College Board is willing to give Sophia another bite at the apple with a legit SAT test in the future ... and she reportedly does want to attend college.

It's unclear if she was studying for an entrance exam -- but we checked, and there is an SAT scheduled for this upcoming Saturday.

John Singleton's daughter will be taken care of for now in the wake of her father's passing ... while his estate figures out how to distribute his multi-million dollar fortune.

21-year-old Cleopatra Singleton -- one of the late filmmaker's seven children -- just got what she'd asked for a couple months ago ... a monthly allowance of nearly $3,000, plus a one-time payment to cover her semester abroad. A judge signed off on it just this week.

Per the order, Cleopatra will receive $2,778 a month -- as well as a one-time payout of $4,150. It's exactly what she'd requested back in September, arguing that her father had taken care of her finances while he was alive ... and she needs the dough to hold her over.

As we reported ... John's estate is estimated to be worth upwards of $35 million, which still needs to be divvied up. The estate also recently came up on an extra $500k or so.

TMZ broke the story ... John died in April after suffering a massive stroke. His mother, Shelia Ward, was put in charge of his estate.